How to let a loop run for a while before checking for break condition?

[Diez B. Roggisch]

Claudio Grondi schrieb:
> 
> Sometimes it is known in advance, that the time spent in a loop will be 
> in order of minutes or even hours, so it makes sense to optimize each 
> element in the loop to make it run faster.
> One of instructions which can sure be optimized away is the check for 
> the break condition, at least within the time where it is known that the 
> loop will not reach it.
> 
> Any idea how to write such a loop?
> 
> e.g.
> 
> counter = 2*64
> 
> while counter(BUT DON'T CHECK IT THE FIRST ONE HOUR LONG):

now = time.time()
while time.time() - now < 3600.0 or some_other_condition:
    ...


The short circuiting of the or will prevent the execution of 
some_other_condition.

>   ... do something ... # and decrease the counter
> 
> Thanks for any hint, but in particular if related to timers on the 
> Windows 2000/XP system I am mainly working with.
> 
> What do you think about this idea? Does it make sense?


What idea?

Diez